How the industry ‘with all its warts’ is attracting a new generation.
What started as a YouTube experiment has grown into a professional competition series with ESPN-style coverage, influencer backing and big-name sponsors designed to attract fresh talent to the construction industry.
“The concept for the National Equipment League came out of two things,” said Bill Elverman, co-owner of PKA Marketing, the agency behind the League. “One was finding a new and innovative way to approach influencer engagement. The other was tackling the bigger issue of workforce development, showing younger generations that construction and the skilled trades aren’t a backup plan, but good careers to build a life around.”
The League films operators competing in heavy equipment challenges, turning jobsite skills into a spectator sport. The competitors take on challenges with time constraints, going head-to-head in muddy battles and rough terrain.
Hyundai Construction Equipment North America, a founding partner, provided both machinery and a ground for filming, Elverman said. Other sponsors, including Blue Diamond Attachments and Triple Crown Products, have since joined.
“Some people joke, ‘Hey, if there’s a professional cornhole league, why not a professional league around equipment operation?’” Elverman said. “And that’s kind of what we’ve built.”
Social engagement at the core
From the beginning, social platforms drove the League’s growth, which is now in its third season.
Reels, teaser clips and photo galleries fueled awareness on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, while full-length 45-minute episodes play on the League’s YouTube channel.
“We’re leveraging every bit of (social media) that we can,” Elverman said. “We’re producing everything from 15-second teasers to full-length shows. And critically, the influencers involved amplify it through their own audiences.”
Influencers such as Mike “Dirt Perfect” Simon, Andrew Camarata and Chris “Let’s Dig 18” Guins, three popular YouTubers in the construction space who also participate in the show, helped establish the initial audience base. Their involvement provided credibility, but more importantly, connection and reach with their combined followers of more than 2 million, Elverman said.
“The mistake I see others make in influencer engagement is thinking, ‘We’ll invite them to our plant, and magic will happen,’” he said. “That doesn’t work. You need to give them something that has value for their audience too.”
Including influencer-posted content, official episodic content and related videos, total Youtube views reached 1.2 million. Episodic content posted to the Hyundai Facebook page has reached more than 441,000 views.
“Our industry values authenticity,” Elverman said. “When you present only polished, curated clips, viewers become skeptical. With this, people see the personality, the work ethic, the camaraderie. It’s the industry with all its warts, and that resonates.”
Partnerships amplify reach when they feel genuine, the content is appropriate and there’s something useful to be gained, he said. In this case, influencers aren’t treated as side promotions but as central storytellers, giving the campaign both credibility and scale.
The stories are also authentic. By highlighting real people in unscripted competition and sharing their personal stories of wins and losses, the League avoids skepticism that comes with overproduced content, he added.
Marketing as entertainment
The League has now expanded beyond YouTube. PKA invested in app development to bring episodes to Apple+ and Roku, hopefully positioning the series alongside similar reality programming such as “Ice Road Truckers,” Elverman said.
“People love watching big machines and big personalities,” he said. “It’s aspirational in the same way sports are. Instead of baseball or fashion, we’re making equipment operation and the people behind it aspirational.”
The approach challenges conventional B2B marketing, which often struggles for broad attention.
“Earned media pickup has been massive,” Elverman said. “Some trade journalists who’ve never liked anything called me to say, ‘This is cool.’ That’s when you know you’ve got something different.”
Results measured in relationships
The League’s strategy isn’t designed for direct sales or lead generation. Instead, its impact is seen in engagement, relationships and reputation.
“At a qualifying event in Indiana, one dealer told us they’d never had that kind of quality time with customers,” Elverman said. “It wasn’t transactional. It was about connecting, about building relationships and that pays dividends later.”
“We’re seeing a groundswell of feedback we’ve never had before,” Elverman said. “People are asking, ‘When are you coming to my state?’ or ‘How do I get involved?’ That shows we’re filling a real gap and reaching our target audience.”
Blending entertainment with education can also open new doors. PKA is already considering trading cards for competitors at next year’s ConExpo, an international construction conference, taking cues from the nostalgia of baseball card trading and finding more ways to engage, Elverman said.
“The story itself carries weight. We’re not trying to sell a machine in the middle of an episode,” he said. “We’re trying to show the pride and potential of the industry. That story is the message.”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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